Titin abnormalities in patients with and without heart failure

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Can we establish abnormalities of titin structure in cardiac and skeletal muscle and relate these to genetic mutations?

  • IRAS ID

    151238

  • Contact name

    Klaus Witte

  • Contact email

    k.k.witte@leeds.ac.uk

  • Research summary

    Titin is a polypeptide that forms a crucial part of the structure of muscle fibres. Mutations of the titin structure are associated with dilated cardiomyopathy, but whether they are associated with the development of heart failure in response to other stressors such as myocarditis or myocardial infarction is unknown. Furthermore, until recently it was impossible to identify the less common mutations of titin. These have now become possible as a result of 'next generation sequencing' (NGS) - a new technique available in Leeds.

    We want to explore the genetics of titin and how these result in changes in titin structure both in cardiac and skeletal muscle.

    In order to do this we will use samples of cardiac muscle form patients undergoing pacemaker extraction in whom small fragments of right ventricular tissue are often attached to the extracted tip of the lead and skeletal muscle obtained during the same extraction procedure from the pectoralis muscle. We will take an additional blood sample at the time of routine blood draws prior to the procedure to look at circulating DNA sequences.

  • REC name

    Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    14/YH/0165

  • Date of REC Opinion

    20 Jun 2014

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion